Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World

[MisterPenguin]

People are different...

I'm not.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Sure, I was only responding to the person who commented that the resorts were "locked down" which makes it seem like they are checking magic bands at every corner.

“Locked down” is their official term for the status of the resorts. Specifically, “full lock down.” I should know - I tried to visit several, was turned away, and heard that term over and over. I had problems even with a dining reservation. Having to go through a thorough security check that’s more rigorous then the one at the airport really destroys the “magic.” And no, parking at the mess that is the Springs and taking a bus is not a fun alternative. So don’t tell me how resort hopping is a pleasant part of a modern WDW vacation.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Or, put differently, many people continue to enjoy and see value in the product that Disney is offering. I think it’s important to move away from the notion (which I know you don’t agree with) that Disney is an unstoppable force whose hapless victims will return to the parks no matter what. It’s insulting to those of us—and our numbers aren’t small—who still consider the experience worth our time and money.

There are many more folks who consider the Disney theme parks a super experience and an excellent value. I am happy to know this. Frankly it keeps the lights on for when I may want to visit once in a while.

For all the folks who won’t return to the theme parks because they feel it’s no longer a value, or we’re literally priced out, there are many, many more who still find value no matter what the prices are or what the offerings are. There are also many, many new visitors who it’s their first time and have nothing to compare to.

TWDC is too big and diverse to fail. There are things I see I do not like that they are doing at my home park, WDW, there are things that excite me at Tokyo. I am a charter subscriber to Disney +, I will not even speak of how much Disney merch our family has purchased over the decades. TWDC is not just theme parks and not just WDW.

This is why TWDC (and it’s theme parks) is invincible

 

[Chi84]

“Locked down” is their official term for the status of the resorts. Specifically, “full lock down.” I should know - I tried to visit several, was turned away, and heard that term over and over. I had problems even with a dining reservation. Having to go through a thorough security check that’s more rigorous then the one at the airport really destroys the “magic.” And no, parking at the mess that is the Springs and taking a bus is not a fun alternative. So don’t tell me how resort hopping is a pleasant part of a modern WDW vacation.

What parts of the modern WDW vacation do you enjoy? What do they still do well enough to keep you coming back?

 

[LittleBuford]

“Locked down” is their official term for the status of the resorts. Specifically, “full lock down.” I should know - I tried to visit several, was turned away, and heard that term over and over. I had problems even with a dining reservation. Having to go through a thorough security check that’s more rigorous then the one at the airport really destroys the “magic.” And no, parking at the mess that is the Springs and taking a bus is not a fun alternative. So don’t tell me how resort hopping is a pleasant part of a modern WDW vacation.

But how can the resorts be locked down when you can still get to them by another form of transportation? Your earlier post implied—or, more accurately, stated—that it’s now impossible to visit a resort you’re not staying in. That just isn’t true.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I can't personally stomach the long flight yet. Longest I've been on a flight is 4hrs, and by 3rd hr I was anxious to get out. Slowly getting more hours.

What Midwest airport? Lowest priced in January for us is $829 CVG to Japan, not every route is cheap.

Yes DD13 has a long list of overseas places she wants to visit. We have a separate savings account she doesn't know about for a graduation trip. Sure could financially take for to any one for a short week, including the flight so 3 days cut out there. Or we wait and go for longer. Japan in sort of a once in a lifetime thing IMO, I'd regret not having more days to explore.

i use a service called Scott’s Cheap Flights. It’s incredible. It’s $50 a year. You tell them the airport(s) you fly from, as well as preferred places to watch for (though you get an email on every destination too).

the service sends me an email often more than once a day with absurdly low fares from my airport. It’s never more than one stop to the destination. Sometimes it’s mistakes by the airlines, sometimes it’s just temporarily low fares. You usually have a day or so to buy, and it’s usually for a 3 or 4 month window, usually a couple months away. So it’s not like you have to drop everything and board a plane in 2 days to take advantage.

the service is actually infuriating, because darn near daily I get an email for crazy low airfare to a place I’d love to go…. But obviously I can’t spend every day just traveling. Yet. Lol

i get Dublin for less than $300 a lot. Even crazy places like the Seychelles for $550 (which is usually a $1500 flight easy). Domestics come up a lot too. LA for $79 RT last week. Which makes it easy to visit DL for a long weekend rather than Orlando.

a couple months ago Tokyo came up crazy low. I knew I couldn’t go during the window you could book for, but my daughter could. I called her and told her and her and her boyfriend booked that day. It’s possible Japan may not yet be open for travel…. In which case they’ll get their money back and have to either wait till it is open, or whatever else.

but yeah. Scott’s Cheap Flights. Worth every penny of the $50 membership…. But be prepared to be infuriated and frustrated unless you hit the lottery.

 

[Casper Gutman]

But how can the resorts be locked down when you can still get to them by another form of transportation? Your earlier post implied—or, more accurately, stated—that it’s now impossible to visit a resort you’re not staying in. That just isn’t true.

Their official status is “lock down.” That is the internal term. I’m very sorry that doesn’t please you, but it’s true.

 

[mikejs78]

“Locked down” is their official term for the status of the resorts. Specifically, “full lock down.” I should know - I tried to visit several, was turned away, and heard that term over and over. I had problems even with a dining reservation. Having to go through a thorough security check that’s more rigorous then the one at the airport really destroys the “magic.” And no, parking at the mess that is the Springs and taking a bus is not a fun alternative. So don’t tell me how resort hopping is a pleasant part of a modern WDW vacation.

When was this?

 

[dreday3]

The only resorts I ever found easy to hop to were the monorail or Epcot area resorts. We would just hop from either MK or Epcot.

We never hopped to moderates or values because it always involved getting to a park and then grabbing a bus!

 

[LittleBuford]

Their official status is “lock down.” That is the internal term. I’m very sorry that doesn’t please you, but it’s true.

I’m not debating the terminology, but rather what you implied by your use of it. Indeed, let’s leave the term “lock down” out of the equation altogether and focus on your own words:

“Yeah, I used to like visiting other resorts and leisurely wandering around, maybe shopping a bit. They absolutely don’t let you do that anymore.”

As has been pointed out, that simply isn’t true (though it must be noted that the official pandemic-related policy at present is that you need a dining reservation to visit as a day guest: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/experience-updates/resorts/).

 

[SteveAZee]

I agree with you except for the bubble bursting. Not gonna happen. Folks on these boards have been saying this for many years. Fact is, TWDC and it’s theme parks are invincible. The pandemic proved this.

I have never broken my arm, therefore my arm is unbreakable.

 

[nickys]

I'm a bit worried about how my bank will handle multiple mini transactions as Disney calls them. My account was flagged for fraud and had to spend an hour on the phone with the bank last time we went in 2019 because of how magicband room charges were being done (immediate hold). The lady did mention transactions of the same amount within a short period of time i.e. less than an hour, raised a fraud flag.
I haven't read if the ILL purchases will be direct charge to card, or if it can charge to room either. Difference being we go with discounted GCs and pay off room charges, tiny savings but still.

Yes, that occurred to me too.
As we’ll be travelling internationally, several transactions in a short space of time could trigger a stop on a card. I hope we can charge to the room but since mobile order doesn’t allow it I’m not hopeful.

Looking forward to those 2.5% currency fees that will be happening on my CC….

I have a travel card from Caxton which I load in US$ direct from my bank account. Saves on those transaction fees but I don’t know how they deal with multiple transactions

Anytime we travel we let the bank know where we are going and never had a problem with the bank stopping our transactions

Neither have I. But then I don’t usually put through multiple transactions within minutes of each other.

My banks don’t do them unless traveling international. It was the multiple under $100 transactions in less than an hour that triggered it. We were doing souvenir shopping after a QS dinner.

This ^^^

 

[Casper Gutman]

I’m not debating the terminology, but rather what you implied by your use of it. Indeed, let’s leave the term “lock down” out of the equation altogether and focus on your own words:

“Yeah, I used to like visiting other resorts and leisurely wandering around, maybe shopping a bit. They absolutely don’t let you do that anymore.”

As has been pointed out, that simply isn’t true (though it must be noted that the official pandemic-related policy at present is that you need a dining reservation to visit as a day guest: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/experience-updates/resorts/

OK, let’s not use the resorts own terminology for thier status, because it’s misleading.

Within the last two months I have been turned away from multiple resorts I wanted to visit. If your contention is that I could have parked in a Disney Springs garage, gone through security, walked to a bus, taken that bus to the resort, and then turned around and reversed the process, yes. But oddly, that would seem to defeat my definition of casual, relaxing resort hopping.

And my understanding is that the resorts status is based on the 50th as much as on the pandemic.

 

[LittleBuford]

OK, let’s not use the resorts own terminology for thier status, because it’s misleading.

Within the last two months I have been turned away from multiple resorts I wanted to visit. If your contention is that I could have parked in a Disney Springs garage, gone through security, walked to a bus, taken that bus to the resort, and then turned around and reversed the process, yes. But oddly, that would seem to defeat my definition of casual, relaxing resort hopping.

And my understanding is that the resorts status is based on the 50th as much as on the pandemic.

You’re not discussing this in good faith, so I’m moving on. I’m glad @mikejs78 pointed out your misleading statement, which I’d somehow missed among all the indignant rage.

 

[Casper Gutman]

You’re not discussing this in good faith, so I’m moving on. I’m glad @mikejs78 pointed out your misleading statement, which I’d somehow missed among all the indignant rage.

I am absolutely discussing this in good faith. I am being as exact as possible here based on very recent personal experience.

 

[LittleBuford]

I am absolutely discussing this in good faith. I am being as exact as possible here based on very recent personal experience.

Being exact would have meant telling us that you were turned away by car at a time when the resorts are operating until modified policies due to the pandemic, not stating that day visits are now absolutely impossible.

I’m moving on.

 

[SteveAZee]

There are many more folks who consider the Disney theme parks a super experience and an excellent value. I am happy to know this. Frankly it keeps the lights on for when I may want to visit once in a while.

For all the folks who won’t return to the theme parks because they feel it’s no longer a value, or we’re literally priced out, there are many, many more who still find value no matter what the prices are or what the offerings are. There are also many, many new visitors who it’s their first time and have nothing to compare to.

TWDC is too big and diverse to fail. There are things I see I do not like that they are doing at my home park, WDW, there are things that excite me at Tokyo. I am a charter subscriber to Disney +, I will not even speak of how much Disney merch our family has purchased over the decades. TWDC is not just theme parks and not just WDW.

This is why TWDC (and it’s theme parks) is invincible

You've used the phrase about Disney being invincible dozens of times. It reminds me of people touting stocks in discussion boards, trying to convince others to stay in their long positions. It becomes repetitive and meaningless after a while.

 

[SteveAZee]

As a fellow FP+ fan, I still don’t quite understand why more here aren’t happier about the new system, which addresses two of the most frequently made complaints about the previous setup: that it was free and therefore overused, and that it required preplanning weeks in advance.

When visiting the parks, which I only do ever few years now, I like to know I can see both the new attractions and revisit those that I've enjoyed in the past. FP+ and pre-planning allowed me to feel sure I could do this without waiting in standby. The new system doesn't provide me that 'peace of mind' and charges me for the opportunity to hopefully see what I came across the country to see.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Being exact would have meant telling us that you were turned away by car at a time when the resorts are operating until modified policies due to the pandemic, not stating that day visits are now absolutely impossible.

I’m moving on.

I resort hop by car. I have resort hopped by car many times in the past. I could not do that. I did not think to include a caveat regarding convoluted internal transportation methods, since as an outside guest, they would have completely defeated the purpose of my resort hopping.

The invocation of the pandemic is misleading in two ways. First, it seems the lock downs severity is as related to the 50th as to the pandemic. Second, based on Chapeks own words, at this point Disney’s pandemic response is based on what will benefit Disney, not what will improve public safety.

Now we can both move on.

 

[Dan Deesnee]

There are many more folks who consider the Disney theme parks a super experience and an excellent value. I am happy to know this. Frankly it keeps the lights on for when I may want to visit once in a while.

For all the folks who won’t return to the theme parks because they feel it’s no longer a value, or we’re literally priced out, there are many, many more who still find value no matter what the prices are or what the offerings are. There are also many, many new visitors who it’s their first time and have nothing to compare to.

TWDC is too big and diverse to fail. There are things I see I do not like that they are doing at my home park, WDW, there are things that excite me at Tokyo. I am a charter subscriber to Disney +, I will not even speak of how much Disney merch our family has purchased over the decades. TWDC is not just theme parks and not just WDW.

This is why TWDC (and it’s theme parks) is invincible

Ironically enough, this is the kind of attitude that leads to industry leaders falling from grace and losing their number 1 status.

Universal is about to change the game dramatically over the next 3-4 years with Epic Universe and new resorts. WDW will need to respond in a big way.